Selective controlling apparatus for electric circuits



H. F. HERMAN.

SELECTIVE CONTROLLING APPARATUS FOR ELECTRIC CIRCUITS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 7. I9l6.

1,326,864, Patented Dec. 30,1919.

5] vwemfo'a "wf/ 95 auolftgf fi H. F. HERMAN. SELECTIVE CONTROLLING APPARATUS FOR ELECTRIC CIRCUITS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 7. i916.

Patented Dec. 30,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET -2.

RM mm STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY r. HERMAN,

PLAYER COMPANY, or NEW YORK,

OF PLEASANTVILLE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T0 IMPERIAL PIANO N. Y A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SELECTIVE CONTROLLING APPARATUS FOR ELECTRIC CIRCUITS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 30, 1919.

Application filed March '7, 1916. Serial No. 82,553.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY F. HERMAN, a citizen of the United States, residin in Pleasantville, Westchester county, and tate of New York, have invented new and useful.

and in accordance with the perforations in a traveling- Web or sheet.

It is the object of the invention to provide circuit controlling means in apparatus of this character in which an electromagnet connected to and operative to actuate each sound producing device of the instrument when energized by the closing of electric circuits for the electromagnets through perforations in a traveling perforated sheet or web, comprising improved tracker mechanism to make certain that the tracker contacts will at all times be in position to inter sect the perforations in a rolled sheet free from the distortions in the sheet, usually -incident-al to its movement, by constructing and supporting in operatlveposition a tracker-bar having a thin edge along its forward or advancing side bearin the contacts,

- adapted to intervene between t e surface of outer lap the rolled sheet and the under side of the of-said sheet along the tangen line of said lap as it leaves the roll in un-.

winding, and to support the tracker whereby it is free to assume under gravlty'such' a position upon the surface of the rolled sheet and to follow said surface as the diameter of the rolled sheet diminishes in nnwinding,

with means to shift or adjust the tracker-bar relative to the sheet to bring the contacts into any a-linement with thecrforations, or to change the key in whic a musical composition is to be rendered; and improved brush mechanism to control the circuits and contacting through the perforations in the sheet to complete the circuits respectively. v

In th drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of an electro-magnetically operated player for musical 1nstruments showing an embodiment of the invention and as applied to the keyboard of a piano, the means for actuating the armature shaft and advancing the music sheet not being shown.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross sectional detail view of the tracker mechanism.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross sectional detail view of a modification of the brush.

Fig. 4 is a plan view with one end of the player broken away and showing a crankactuated driving means.

Fig. 5 is a plan view, partly broken away, of the tracker mechanism.

Fig. 6 is a cross sectional detail view of the windings for a magnet and showing the relation thereof to a core.

Similar characters of reference designate like parts throughout the different views of the drawings.

I have shown an embodiment of the invention in the drawings in connection with an electromagnetically actuated player for musical instruments adapted as a key-board player, the operative parts being carried by and the electromagnetically operated means inclosed in a casing consisting of a base 10 and a cover 12 comprising removable sec tions, whereby access may readily be had to the parts for repairing or otherwise, the ends being closed by plates 11 shaped to conform to the base and cover of the casing. All the parts are supported upon the base 10 constructed of suitable materialand a formed with longitudinall'yfextending angles, as shown in Fig. 1, to oonform'to the keyboard of a musical instrument, shown in a general way by K, and which angles also serve to stiffen and strengthen the base.

The sound reproducing devices of the instrument are actuated through a series of magnetizable cores 13, one foreach sound reproducing device, and an armature common to all the cores in the form of a revoluble shaft 1 1 mounted in the casing, the rotary movement of which shaft is transmitted to linear movement of the cores through magnetic cling. The cores 13 are carried by stems 15 connected to one end of levers 16 pivot-ally carried by brackets 17 fixed to a support 18, plungers 19 to have movement through openings in the base of the casing being connected to the other ends of the levers by stems 20 and the plungers arranged with a cushion to normally contact with the keys. The levers 16 are adapted for the white keys and are supported by brackets 17 extending forward of the support 18, and

shorter leverslti are provided for the black keys the supporting brackets of which extend to the rear of the support 18, Fig. 1,

whereby equal movement will be imparted to the plungers;

The magnet cores as shown in Fig. 6 are substantially of U-shape, and supported by the stems 15 so that the ends of the legs of the U, or the poles, will contact with the surface of the armature. The magnet core embraces one side of a spool 21 carrying the magnet energizing coils or windings 22. These spools are mounted in fixedposltlon within a recessed portion of a fixed supporting and insulating member 2.3.

The sound producing devices are actuated through the magnets when energized as the circuits are opened and closed in accordancewith the perforationsin a traveling web or sheet S, such as is commonly used with pneumatic players for musical instruments. The

sheet is rolled 'upon a spool 25 rotatably supported by brackets 26 and operatively scribed. The sheet in its travel passes over a tracker-bar T of insulating material carrying a plurality of insulated contacts 29, each connected in circuit with a magnet-energizing coil- 22 by conductors 30, the said contacts alining with the respective lines of perforations in the sheet.

The tracker-bar has a thinned edge upon its forward or advancing end, as shown at 31, and it is supported to swing upon a rod 32, as at 33, said'rod being supported in arms 34, of the brackets 26, whereby the thinned edge'will at all times assume a position between the sheet wound on the spool 25 to intervene between the outer surface of the outer lap and the underside of said sheet as it leaves the roll in unwinding with the tracker bar contacts intersected by the perforations in the sheet as it is unwound from the spool. It will be noted that the tracker-bar byits own weight rests upon the rolled sheet and as the sheet is unwound from the spool25 andthe diameter of the rolled sheet is thus reduced, as shown, in dotted line in Fig. 1, the thinedge of the" tracker-bar will follow the surface of the roll and the tracker-contacts will always be in position to be intersected by the perforations in the sheet as the sheet is unwound.

By this arrangement the opportunities for the sheet to become displaced or distorted are greatly reduced, since it performs its shield being transparent the functions with the tracker within so short a distance of movement from its proper place on the sheetthat'lit cannot get out. of alinement or position in that distance.

The circuit is completed through one or more of the contacts by a brush normally held out of contact with the tracker contacts by the unperforated portion of the sheet. This brush consists of a plurality of bristlelike metallic wires 35 placed side by side and fixed to a carrier or rod 36, as by soldering, the rod 36 being carried in a groove in a rod 37, and retained therein bya collar at each end. The rod 37 is pivotally supported at its ends in arms 38, fixed to the trackerbar T for the contacts 29, Fig. 5. The brush is thrown toward and away from the contacts bya finger lever 39 pivotally mounted on one of the brush rod retaining collars to have movement on an axis transverse to the axis of the rod 37 to permit said lever to engage below a stop 40 to lock the brush in engagement with the tracker-bar. Thebrush is common to all the contacts'and magnet coils and is connected in circuit therewith by a conductor 41 connected to. a bus-bar 42, to which bus-bar one end of the windings of each of the magnet coils is connected as at 43.

To thread the sheet between the tracker and brush the brush is thrown up to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 2, with the lever 39 engaging with a supporting stop 37. carried by cidental bending or distorting of the metallie bristles of the brush there is provided a shield 44 of transparent material,.,celluloid having been found to answer the urpose, extending the full length of the brus This shield is secured to and rotatably mounted on the rod 37 by a bar-45,a'spring46 causing the brush to engage with-theshield', asshown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 when the brush is thrown up away from the contacts so that the lower or'front edge of the shield will extend beyond the ends of the bristles. How'- ever, when the 'brush- 'is in position to enan arm 38, and'to prevent acgage with the tracker contacts the shield will engage with and'lo'e supported by a stop pin 47 (Fig. 5) and'a-slight further .rotative movement imparted to the brush by the lever 39 against the action of the spring 46, causes it to separate from-the brush and to engage with the contacts and be retained insuch position by the lever 39 engaging below the stop 40. In this position'of the brush the ends of the bristles will extend slightly beyond the front edge of and be free from the shield, as shown in full lines in F ig. 2. The operator is able to note any indications which may be print ed upon the sheet previous to its passing between thebrush and the contacts.

This tracker mechanism is designed to make use of all forms of standard perforated paper music rolls now manufactured and on the market for use with pneumatic piano-players and which makeuse of air as the circulating medium. In some cases where troublehas been found in the use of these perforated sheets in pneumatic players through distortion or buckling of the air could pass on either or both sides of the bridge.

To adapt the brush to sheets of this type in which a row of circular perforations, called bridged perforations, are used instead of the usual elongated open perforations to hold a note which has been sounded,

' the brush has a plurality of rows of metallic bristles 35, one forward of the other, and shown in the present instance as two in number, Fig. 3. By this construction the bridges or the portions of the paper left across the perforation will not operate to break the circuit with the consequent release of the note, but as the bristles of one row are thrown out of engagement with the contact 24 by the bridges, the bristles of the other row willcome into engagement there with with the result that the circuit will not be broken until desired by the passing of the entire perforation.

Should the tracker contacts not properly register or aline with the perforations in a sheet, due to imperfections in the sheet, defective cutting or otherwise, means are provided for lateral adjustment between the tracker-bar and sheet. For this purpose the tracker-bar is mounted on the rod 32 by the brackets 33 engaging between collars 48 fixed on the rod to prevent endwise movement of the tracker-bar von the rod. To permit lateral adjustment one end of the rod 32 is screw threaded, and the support for said end of the rod is correspondingly threaded, the opposite end of the rod having a knurled finger-piece to facilitate the rotating of the rod. It will be obvious that by rotating the rod in one direction the tracker-bar will be adjusted laterally of the sheet in one direction, and when the rod is rotated in a reverse direction the tracker will be adjusted in a reverse direction. This adjustment of the tracker-bar also serves to change the key in which a musical composition is to be rendered, from a higher to a lower-key, or vice versa, sincethe relation between the actuating magnets and sound producing devices is fixed and by such adjustment of the tracker-bar the relation of said sound producing devices to the perforations in a sheet are changed.

To revolve the armature shaft 14 and simultaneously advance the sheet the armature shaft has a pinion 49 fixed thereon meshing with a gear 50 fixed to a driving shaft 51 mounted to rotate on an axis parallel with the axis of the armature shaft, this driving shaft being actuated by a crank 48 rotatable on an axis at less than 90 degrees to the axis of the armature and driving shaft and operatively connected to the driving shaft by a universal joint 52. The object in placing the crank to revolve at an angle of about 45 degrees to the face of the piano is to facilitate the ease of operation by presenting it to the hand and arm'in a more natural and convenient position. A portion 53 of the crank is offset to the portion 48 at an angle of less than. 90 degrees outside of the casmg, and a hand grip 54 rotatably connected to said portion 53 extends outward at an angle thereto and in a direction with the portion 48 as shown in Fig. 4.

The take-up roll is rotated by a gear 55 fixed" thereto meshing with a pinion 56 fixed to a shaft 57 which shaft is operated from the driving shaft 51 through a train of gearing58, 59, 60 and 61. Suitable means are provided to rewind the sheet from the take-up roll by the crank 54. To .cause the sheet to wind tightly on this roll 25 in rewinding a spring 69 is'coiled about the axle of spool 27 and confined between a head of the spool and spool support 28 the tension of the spring against the spool head The source of electricity consists of a bat tery cell or cells 62, from which conductor 41 leads to the brush 35 and to the bus-bar ,42, from which bus-bar the current passes 1 in separate circuits, in the nature of branch circuits, through the magnet coils and from the magnet coils through the conductors 30 to the contacts 29 of the tracker-bar, the

conductors 30 where they pass out through the casing and areyoonnected to the-tracker contacts being looped, as at 63, so as .not to interfere with the movement of the tracker and having a suitable covering. At a suitable point in the circuit a switch 64 may be provided.

The operation will be readily understood. The rolled sheet, as 25, is placed in position in its support when the brush 35 is thrown upward and away from the tracker contacts by its levers 39. The end of the sheet is then threaded between the brush carrier and the tracker and connected to the take-up spool 27, after which the brush is thrown'forward into engagement with the tracker. The armature shaft is now rotated, by turning the crank 54, whereby the sheet is also advanced over the tracker-bar, the sheet being interposed between the tracker and brush separating the bristles of the brush from the contacts and thus holding the magnets inert. As one or more of the sheet perforations pass over the tracker contacts the "brush bristles'are permitted to bear against any contact exposed by a perforation or perforations thus closing or completing the circuit and energizing the connected magnet, the magnet instantly adhering magnetically to the armature and having movement imparted to it and sounding a note, such note being held or prolonged until the perforation passes over the contact and the sheet again interposes and opens the circuit, whereupon the magnet is instantly deenergized and drops back to its initial position.

Having thus described my invention I claim:

1. The combination with a series of electic-magnets, of a traveling perforated sheet; I a tracker-bar having a plurality of insulated contacts in circuit with the respective electro-magnets over which contacts the perforated sheet travels; and a longitudinally adjustable rod upon which the tracker-bar is mounted to at all times assume a position with the forward edge to intervenebetween the surface of the rolled sheet and the under side of the unwinding sheet along the tangent line of the sheet as it leaves the roll in unwinding whereby the contacts will be intersected by the perforations in the sheet as the sheet is unwound; and a brush to contact with the tracker-barcontacts through the perforations in the sheet, substantially as and for'the purpose specified.

2. The combination with a series of elect'ro-magnets, of a traveling perforated sheet; a support for the rolled sheet; a trackerbar having a plurality of insulated contacts in circuit with the respective electro-ma ets ,over which the perforated sheet traves; a

brush to contact with the tracker-bar contacts through the perforations in the sheet;

and longitudinall adjustable means to support the trackerar whereby the forward edge of the tracker-bar is adapted to swing toward and away from the rolled sheet and have adjustment laterally of the sheet, substantially as and-for the. purpose specified.

. ,3. The combination with a series of elecsaid tracker bar having a thinned edge over which the sheet'travels; a longitudinally adjustable rod upon which the bar is adjustably mounted wherebythe thinned edge of the bar at all times assumes a position to intervene between the surface of the rolled sheet and the under side of the unwinding iseaeee 'electro-magnets and with one 'edge thinned over which the perforated sheet travels; a longitudinally adjustable rod .upon which the bar is pivotally mounted at the edge opposite to the thinned edge; and a brush in circuit with the electro-magnets pivotally carried by the tracker-bar to contact with the tracker-bar contacts through the perforations in the sheet, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

5. The combination with a series of electro-magnets, of a traveling perforated sheet: a tracker-bar having a plurality of insulated contacts in circuit with the respective elect-ro-magnets, and with one edge thinned over which the perforated sheet travels; a brush carried by the tracker-bar in circuit with the electro-magnets to contact with the tracker-bar contacts through the perforations in the sheet; and a longitudinally adjustable rod on which the tracker-bar is pivotally supported at the edge opposite to its thinned edge to permit the thinned edge of the tracker-bar to swing toward and away from and be supported by the rolled sheet,

substantially as and for the purpose specicontacts through the perforations in the sheet; and means to pivotally support said brush by the tracker-bar to permit the brush to be thrown toward and away from the tracker-bar contacts, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

7. The combination with a series of electr o-magnets, of a traveling perforated sheet; a tracker-bar having a plurality of contacts in circuit with the respective electro-magnets over which the perforated sheet travels; a longitudinally adjustable rod upon which the tracker is pivotally supported; a brush to contact with thetracker contacts through the perforations in the sheet, said brush comprising a pivotally supported bar and a multiplicity of bristle like wires carried by said bar in juxtaposed relation, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

8. The combination with a series of electro-magnets, of a traveling perforated sheet; a tracker-bar having a plurality of contacts in circuit with the respective electro-magnets over which the perforated sheet travels; a longitudinally adjustable rod upon which the tracker is pivotally supported; a brush to contact with the tracker contacts through the perforations in the sheet, said brush comprising a pivotally supported bar and two rows of bristle like wires carried by said bar, one forward of the other, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

9. The combination with a series of electro-magnets, of a traveling perforated sheet; a tracker-bar having a plurality of contacts in circuit with the respective electro-magnets over which the perforated sheet travels; a longitudinally adjustable rod upon which the tracker is pivotally mounted; a brush to contact with the tracker-contacts through the perforations; means to pivotally support said brush by the tracker-bar to permit the brush to be thrown toward and away from the tracker-bar; and a shield 10. The combination with a series of electro-magnets, of a traveling perforated sheet; a tracker-bar having a plurality of contacts in circuit with the respective electro-magnets over which the perforated sheet travels; a longitudinally adjustable rod upon which the tracker is mounted; a pivotally supported brush-bar having a multiplicity of bristle'like wire contacts to contact with the tracker contacts through the perforations in the sheet; and a shield eX tending in front and longitudinally of the brush contacts loosely mounted on the brush bar and moving therewith, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

11. The combination with a series of electro-Inagnets, sheet; a tracker-bar having a plurality of insulated contacts in circuit with the electro-magnets; a longitudinally adjustable rod upon which the tracker is mounted to rest upon the rolled sheet and adjust itself to the varying diameter of the rolled sheet; and to permit swinging of the bar away from the roll support to insert and remove the rolled sheet; and a brush in circuit with the electro-magnets to contact with the tracker contacts through the perforations in the sheet, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

HENRY F. HERMAN.

of a traveling perforatedv 

